


trust your heart (if the seas catch fire)

by tinyegg



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Betrayal, Dad Thace, Galra Keith (Voltron), Galra Prince Keith, Gen, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) Needs a Hug, M/M, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Spy Keith, also keith: i'm gay for the enemy?? fukccc, keith in canon: i'M gALra?? fukc, keith in this fic: i'M hUMAn?? fukc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-02-18 09:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13096893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyegg/pseuds/tinyegg
Summary: Keyiv, the forgotten Second Prince of the Galran Empire, embarks on a near-suicide mission in a desperate bid to gain his father’s approval – by infiltrating the Castle of Lions and destroying Voltron from inside-out.(Galra Keith AU where he joins the Paladins of Voltron with the intention of spying for the Galran Empire, but ends up learning more about himself and the paladins in the process.)





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> The first piece of writing I've ever done for Voltron! I mean, I just finished the fourth season two days ago. 
> 
> I find the concept of Galra Keith so intriguing and the thought struck me that we all agree that the Paladins would stick with Keith if they found out he was Galra because he's their friend first and foremost - but what if he WAS a galran spy? 
> 
> Also, I want to explore the intricacies of Galran culture - because surely Galra soldiers don't fight for the empire and enforce Galran rule just to be "evil" right? So we get to see the Galra's side of things through Keith's eyes.
> 
> Thus, this AU.

The first time it happens is on the planet Kwotor.

 

It’s not exactly a highly important planet. The Galra mainly use it to collect material for textiles, like those used to create those _‘artfully tattered prisoner clothes’_ , as Brexzon had so quaintly put it. Keyiv suppresses a snort at the memory. In other words, he has no idea why the Voltron Paladins would want to reclaim the planet, other than maybe to ‘free’ the natives from Galran rule.

 

However, the one key feature of Kwotor is that despite its smooth appearance, the ground has a tendency to sometimes give way to form quicksand. Which is well and fine during the day, but at night, it’s harder to identify which are the dangerous spots without night vision.

 

“Someone! Anyone! Help, I’m _sinking_!” A voice shrieks. Keyiv’s ears twitch towards the noise and his eyes soon follow. Sure enough, there’s someone sinking and sinking _fast_ under the thick pool of quicksand.

 

Without thinking, Keyiv launches himself to the edge of the pool, grabbing onto the person’s flailing arm as his head had already disappeared below the surface. He yanks with all his might but it takes a full ten seconds before he manages to drag the person out of the pool.

 

During those ten seconds, several thoughts flash through Keyiv’s head. _This is exactly what they told us_ not _to do at the academy. Wasting energy on helping natives is diverting energy away from the mission. If any of the other soldiers caught me, I’d be suspended for days!_

With those thoughts in mind, Keyiv makes a split-second decision. He feels the change pass over him, like a tide, stealing the breath from his lungs. When he looks at the hand latched onto the stranger’s arm again, he sees the weird, smooth, pink-ish skin he’s come to associate with his human side instead of regular purple fur. Keyiv shivers, feeling oddly vulnerable.

 

Meanwhile, the stranger lays on the ground, sucking in huge, gasping breaths. He recovers slightly after a few seconds, enough to sit up and study Keyiv’s face.

 

“Wow, I’d really want to stick around and thank you properly for the help, but now’s not really a good time. A war to fight, people to save, you feel me?” The stranger gives him a weak grin, more bravado than anything, and a two-fingered salute. Keyiv can only stare in shock, even as the stranger turns, and sprints away.

 

The stranger is _human_. Brown-skinned with cerulean eyes.

 

And he’s a _Paladin_.

 

Keyiv scrambles away from the quicksand pool, as if running a few feet away from the scene of his crime will erase the fact that it happened. Frantically, he changes back to his Galran form. He tries to clear his mind, focus on the mission again but his breaths are shallow and his mind is racing.

 

He just helped a _Voltron Paladin_.

 

Keyiv feels sick.

 

* * *

 

“—Yeah, he was right… here!” Lance declares, to a spot that appears entirely ordinary to the other Paladins. However, upon closer inspection, there is a patch on the ground that is shiner than the rest. “It was impossible to see, I swear! So I fell in and this guy helped me out, told you that earlier –“

 

“But you said he was _human_?” Shiro interrupts, brows furrowing.

 

“Yeah!” Lance says, throwing up his arms in frustration at Shiro’s apparent disbelief. “Black hair, pale skin, the whole works!”

 

“But what could another human be doing way out here?” Pidge asks, mouth twisting in confusion. “Earth doesn’t have tech advanced enough to travel this far out yet!”

 

“We could always ask him if we see him again. He seemed friendly. I mean, not _friendly_ friendly because he just stared at me in this weird creepy way after pulling me out but hey, at least he didn’t shove me back into the quicksand.” Lance suggests. The others nod, although a bit hesitantly.

 

“Alright, let’s get back to the ship. Allura and Coran are waiting for us.” Shiro says with a note of finality, effectively putting an end to their conversation about Lance’s mysterious new ‘friend’.

 

* * *

 

The second time it happens, Keyiv is completely caught off-guard. Embarrassingly so.

 

This time it’s on the planet Trixyllis. He’d gotten careless and ended up nailed in the shoulder by a blaster. _You’d think blasters made out of sticks and magic by little tree people wouldn’t hurt so much_ , he thinks bitterly as he stumbles into a little cave to examine the damage.

 

“Hey!” Someone calls out to him. “You okay there? What happened?”

 

Keyiv looks up, alarmed at someone discovering his hiding spot so quickly. Even worse, the person jogging over is armoured in yellow and white, which can only mean one thing. _Another Voltron Paladin? Really?_

Strangely, the Paladin tilts his head in what appears to be _concern_ when Keyiv doesn’t reply. With a quick glance at his hands, he understands why. _The magic in those blasters must suck quintessence from me or something… My body changed to human to conserve it._

“One of the Tryxillian shot me. Thought I was a soldier or something. I was wearing a mask.” Keyiv bites out the only excuse he can think of on the spot. To his relief, the Paladin seems to believe him.

 

He steps forward. Instinctively, Keyiv shrinks back against the wall. He can’t help but feel threatened. He’s never been this close to the enemy before.

 

“Relax, buddy. I’m not gonna hurt you. I’ll just give you the healing salve one of the Tryxillian gave me, okay?” The paladin says reassuringly, moving forward slowly as if approaching a cornered animal.

 

Keyiv really doesn’t want to accept help from the Paladin. But he’s trapped and the weird draining magic is leaving him feeling weaker by the second, which would leave him unable to continue fighting. _The mission over everything, right?_ So with great reluctance, Keyiv forces himself to loosen his tensed muscles and allows the Paladin to spread the healing salve over his shoulder.

 

“Thanks,” He mutters. He doesn’t know why he did it, but it feels awkward to just part in silence. He figures it would look suspicious on his part too, if he acted hostile towards a ‘Great Heroic Paladin of Voltron’.

 

“No problem. Stay out of trouble, okay?” With great agility for someone of his size, the Paladin disappears before Keyiv’s eyes.

 

 _It must be a weird side-effect of quintessence draining,_ Keyiv reasons when his traitorous heart actually feels _relieved_ that he wasn’t given the time to consider whether he should stab the Paladin in the back after his help.

 

* * *

 

The third time it happens, it’s intentional.

 

It’s been a little over a month since the last Incident, as he likes to call them. His encounters with the Paladins, that is. It’s given him enough down time to think about each incident and what they mean.

 

So far, all he’s gathered is that the Paladins are either very stupid, or too kind and naïve for their own good. Although he’d like to believe the former, he’s learning more towards the latter. And for some reason he can’t fathom, he wants to push the limits of their kindness, find out more about them. _Know thy enemy, know thy weakness,_ he tells himself.

 

So, during his next mission that coincides with Voltron’s presence on the planet he’s assigned to, when Keyiv spots the blue paladin he rescued before struggling to fight against a Robeast – Haggar made giant metallic bugs this time. Multiple. Keyiv admits they’re pretty terrifying – he jumps into the fight with him.

 

The blaster would be too obvious, given the huge Galra logo and colour scheme, so Keyiv opts for his knife instead.

 

He’s always favoured blades anyway.

 

Keyiv surges forward, slicing the Robeast’s antennas off just as it’s about to clamp down on the Paladin’s arm with its pincers. Disoriented for a moment, it clicks its pincers furiously, scuttling around wildly, trying to find its target.

 

“It’s you!” The shock in the Paladin’s voice is palpable. Keyiv doesn’t acknowledge him. Vicious Robeast first, chit-chat later – was that rule not mentioned in the Paladin Handbook or whatever the Paladins used to study?

 

Keyiv attempts another slice but this time, the Robeast hears the movement and clamps its pincers around his blade. He gives a fierce tug, but the Robeast’s vicelike grip doesn’t slacken in the slightest.

 

A loud blast sounds from behind him. The Robeast lets out a piercing shriek, more fury than fear but the Paladin shoots it several more times, finally piercing its core. The Robeast gives a last pathetic little whirr, and shuts down.

 

“Thanks for your help again. Not that I needed it, but you’re just a regular knight in shining armour, aren’t you?” The Paladin puts down his blaster and gives him a smirk, though on his face, Keyiv thinks it looks more like a lopsided grin.

 

Keyiv snorts, unable to help himself. “Sure. I must have imagined the metallic monster bug that was about to crush your arm earlier on.”

 

To his surprise, the Paladin’s grin widens, giving him the appearance of someone who’s just won a prize. “So you can talk!” The Paladin sticks out his hand. “I’m Lance. Paladin of Voltron, pilot of the Blue Lion.”

 

Keyiv gives the hand an appraising look. He doesn’t really find shaking hands with the Blue Paladin, who seems absolutely _full of himself_ , all that appealing. After a few seconds of awkward silence, the Blue Paladin retracts his hand with a nervous laugh.

 

“Not one for talking, are you? Only when you’re snarking at me.” ‘Lance’ says.

Keyiv shrugs. “I didn’t exactly come to chit-chat. I came because you looked pathetically outmatched by a bug.”

 

“A giant, metallic, _monster_ bug that is fuelled by _dark magic_!” The Blue Paladin yelps, waving his arms around to illustrate how great the threat was, as if Keyiv didn’t face it himself moments ago.

 

“Druidic magic,” Keyiv corrects him automatically, before stopping himself from saying more, just in case he spills something that the Paladins did not know about the Galra. “By the way, I was wondering if you have anything besides that blaster.” When the Paladin gives him a quizzical look, he hastily adds on to avoid sounding suspicious. “Because you don’t seem to have much skill in it.”

 

“Hey!” The Paladin protests. “I’ll have you know I’m the sharpshooter of the team. Besides, I don’t need to be good with blasters, necessarily. Hunk is the pro with that and Pidge has her grappling lasso thing.”

 

“Hunk is the… Green Paladin?”

 

“No?” The Paladin gives him a slightly offended look. “Hunk is yellow, Pidge is green.”

 

Keyiv nods in acknowledgement, unsure of how to reply without giving away his excitement. His heart is racing – the Paladins’ area of expertise with weapons was surely valuable intel and the Blue Paladin had just given it all away to him freely! An idea worms its way into his head, almost making it impossible for him to conceal his buzzing excitement. If he were to gain the trust of the Paladins, how much more information would they accidentally give away?

 

“So,” Keyiv tries to sound casual. “Where is the rest of your team? Shouldn’t you be helping them instead of talking to a random stranger?”

 

The Paladin shakes his head. “No, Shiro just told me over the comm that they’ve cleared out all the Robeasts. There many of them, but individually they’re weaker so after we spread out, they were easy to take down. Didn’t even need to form Voltron.”

 

 _I have to find some way to let Haggar know – multiple Robeasts arent’ as effective,_ Keyiv thinks. Outwardly, he says, “Doesn’t explain why I found you unable to defeat one all on your own.”

 

“Look, it was probably the alpha bug that I got, okay? You’d have been dead if I hadn’t shot it in the end too!” The Paladin whines. “Oh hey, speaking of the team, Shiro wants us to gather now. Wanna come with?”

 

It is a great opportunity, but it might also be a trap if the Blue Paladin has caught on to his attempt at gathering information. Cautiously, Keyiv asks, “You sure you should be inviting some guy you’ve only met twice along to a Voltron meeting? I don’t think that’s… wise.”

 

“Nah, it’ll be fine! The rest of the team wants to meet you anyway.” The Paladin waves his hand dismissively. “Come on, this way.” He beckons for Keyiv to follow. After a moment of hesitation, he does.

 

“Shiro! Hunk! Over here!” The Paladin calls out once he spots the figures in the distance. They jog over to the rest of the Paladins, who are standing outside the Castle of Lions. Up close, Keyiv has to admit it’s pretty awe-inspiring. The ship is huge, yet elegant in its own way.

 

“Look who I ran into!” The Paladin grabs him by the arm and pulls him into the circle the Paladins have formed. Keyiv squirms a little, uncomfortable at being treated like a toy brought to show-and-tell. “It’s the guy who saved me from the quicksand a month ago. Remember? He helped me fight off a Robeast today.”

 

“Oh – hey!” The Yellow Paladin exclaims, mouth widening in surprise. “You’re the one I helped on Tryxillis, aren’t you? Nice to see you again.”

 

“Yeah, uh, hey.” Keyiv replies, unable to mask his discomfort at the Paladins being so openly friendly with him. Thankfully, the lady who seems to hold a great deal of authority steps up.

 

“I am Princess Allura. I do thank you for helping out the Paladins and would like to hold a conversation with you, if you have the time?” After Keyiv nods his hesitant assent, she continues. “I do apologise, but we will not permit you access into the Castle of Lions due to… events that happened in the past. However, we will bring out dinner and eat outside, if you would be willing to join us for dinner.”

 

“Aw, come on Allura! He’s not a threat, he’s saved me twice already. We’re buds.” The Blue Paladin makes a gesture at him with his fingers, something alike to… guns? Finger guns? Keyiv shakes off his confusion, deciding to ignore him and respond to the Princess instead.

 

“No, your Princess is quite right. You shouldn’t be so trusting of a stranger. In times of war, it’s just not wise.” Keyiv says, quite honestly. He looks at the rest of the Paladins. “You should watch this one, he has zero sense of self-preservation.”

 

The rest laugh at the Blue Paladin’s indignant yelp of protest after his words.

 

“Yeah, you seem alright.” The Green Paladin pipes up. “Anyone who makes fun of Lance is a friend of mine! And _I_ happen to be a very good judge of character.”

 

Internally, Keyiv snorts. _Not if you’re hanging out with the Voltron Paladins._ “Pidge, right? Nice to meet you.” He says instead, mentally patting himself on the back for managing to sound not-constipated-and-even-friendly!

 

“Hi. I’m Shiro. I pilot the Black Lion.” The oldest, who is the clear leader among the Paladins, steps forward with a friendly smile. Keyiv opens his mouth to respond, but quickly shuts it when he notices the man’s right arm – Galra tech.

 

 _The Champion_ , he realises, jolting in horror. Quickly, he schools his expression into something more neutral, praying the others don’t notice. Unfortunately, going by their curious stares, they have.

 

“I’m sorry, did I do something to bother you?” The Black Paladin says, holding up his arms apologetically. Keyiv shakes his head quickly.

 

“No, no it’s nothing. It’s just the arm – galra –“ Keyiv flounders for a moment, unable to find a viable explanation for his horrified reaction.

 

But to his surprise, the Black Paladin’s eyes soften. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t realise you… you must have had some bad memories of the Galra too, huh?”

 

 _Huh?_ Keyiv stares for a moment, before realising what he’s implying. It stings him a little to imply that his people have ever done anything to him, as if he’s siding with the Paladins, but he forces himself to give a small, curt nod.

 

“The Galra have hurt everyone in the universe, one way or another.” Keyiv is surprised to find the Princess’s voice, previously warm and cordial, suddenly so sharp. “But don’t worry, we _will_ put an end to their tyranny.”

 

Keyiv shivers internally. Hearing that level of conviction from an enemy, aimed at him as if it’s reassurance, is definitely unsettling.

 

After a moment of silence, the other Altean claps his hands and announces. “So, how about dinner!”

 

* * *

 

Once they’ve settled in, the Paladins start firing him questions. Keyiv figures it’s partly an interrogation, partly their own curiosity.

 

“I don’t think I caught your name,” The Black Paladin starts off conversationally.

 

Keyiv hesitates a moment. His own name is definitely too obviously Galran. “I… don’t really feel comfortable with sharing that. Names aren’t meant to be thrown around.”

 

The Black Paladin nods in approval. “I can understand that. We’d have to earn your trust before you share something that personal, huh? I bet it isn’t easy rebelling against the Galran Empire alone.”

 

Keyiv protests before he can stop himself, shame flaring up at his implied betrayal of the empire. “I’m not rebelling against the Galra! I mean – I mostly do my own thing. I’m just trying to survive, so I don’t think it’d be wise for me to pick sides.”

 

It’s strange how understanding the Paladins are. If he were them, he’d be completely distrustful of himself, yet here they all are, nodding along as if what he said made sense.

 

“Can I call you Red?” The Blue Paladin speaks up suddenly. “Gotta have _something_ to call you. And that jacket definitely stands out.” Keyiv shrugs, looking down at the red jacket that he usually wears in human form. _It was a gift from my father_ , he thinks but keeps it to himself.

 

“So, Red.” The Princess says. “Where are you from?”

 

Luckily, this _is_ a question that Keyiv has anticipated. “I’m mostly nomadic. Been to a lot of planets. But I was born and raised in Rekon.” _A peaceful planet, not touched by the Galran Empire yet and far from here so it’d be hard to verify my identity. Being a nomad would also explain why they keep running into me._

“What’s Rekon like?” The Princess asks.

 

“Mountains, streams, a bit of forest. More like a village than a city. All our houses are low-rise and it was warm all year round.” Keyiv responds.

 

“What are the closest planets to Rekon?”

 

This time, Keyiv catches on and recognises her questions for what they are – a hardly subtle interrogation. He supresses a smirk, excited by the prospect of a challenge. “Denzir, Faarkyr and Ymiris.”

 

“There are many streams in Rekon, but only one river. Does its name start with Oh, Rir, Huo or Ting?” The Princess says, this time a visible challenge in her eyes.

 

Calmly, Keyiv replies, “None of the above. It’s called Nangda.”

 

The Princess breaks out into a smile. “Either you really do come from Rekon, or you have a very good cover story. Either way, I’m sorry for all the questions. We can’t trust everyone we come across, no matter how friendly Lance is.”

 

Keyiv shakes his head, though more grateful than ever before that he paid full attention during Geography classes. “No worries. It’s the right course of action. I’d do the same.”

 

The Blue Paladin sighs. “Okay, okay but enough with the interrogation! Can we just talk and eat  _normally_ now?”

 

* * *

 

By the time Keyiv sneaks back onto the Galra ship, he knows more about the Paladins than ever before. Their names, weapons of choice and even better – where they’ll be for the next few planets. ‘ _In case you want to hit us up again!’_ the Blue Paladin had put it.

 

He lets himself return to Galran form, letting a small, relieved sigh escape from him. The change is like taking off armour at the end of the day. However, just as he relaxes, the lights in his room turn on.

 

Standing in front of him, is his best friend, Brexzon. _Quiznak,_ Keyiv thinks.

 

“Uh, _where have you been_?” Brexzon hisses, waving his arms wildly. “You need to stop sneaking off on missions. I covered for you again today, but there’s only so many times you can have ‘diarrhoea’ in one week!”

 

“Sorry.” Keyiv says, but he’s unable to control the grin widening on his face. He’s been buzzing with triumph ever since he left the Volron campsite. “I was busy talking to the Voltron Paladins.”

 

“That’s not an excuse – wait,” Brexzon pauses. “ _What?_ ”

 

“I’ve gained their trust somehow.” Keyiv explains excitedly. “I think I can actually get valuable information out of them.”

 

“Whoa that’s… whoa.” Brexzon stares at him, eyes wide.

 

Keyiv nods, eyes shining in determination. He’s finally going to do it.

 

He’ll finally be of use to his father.


	2. chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for your kind comments and kudos last chapter wow?? I hope you all know that your kind words are really what's encouraging me to write this fic :') I apologise in advance though, I plan to take the story slow at the beginning so hoping that you guys will stick with me for the ride!
> 
> Also, mERRY CHRYSLER EVERYONE !!! 
> 
> Anyway, hope you all enjoy the update!!

 

Keyiv hisses in frustration. He has valuable intel – information that could _help the Galra Empire_ – and Emperor Zarkon has refused an audience with him. Again.

 

He sighs, dropping his head, resting his forehead against his knees. He understands his father is busy. Pestering him like this, feeling resentment, is selfish of him. After all, he has a whole empire to take care of. _Besides,_ he admits with a tinge of shame, _it’s not like I’ve ever been helpful to him before_.

 

He recalls the best few weeks of his life. For those two weeks, he felt _so much_ pride at being chosen as Emperor Zarkon’s second prince. It’d been such an honour that he could hardly believe it was being bestowed upon him. Out of the entire class of orphans, he’d been consistently the top student – he worked harder than anyone else to prove to the Galra and to himself that he was more than some abandoned kit. He could be of worth to the Empire.

 

For those two weeks, he’d attended press conferences, public speeches and meetings with the Emperor by his side. Showing him off to the media, to the adoration of the public – the Galra place heavy value on family and the Emperor adopting an orphaned kit served to boost their loyalty to him and their determination to serve the empire even more. Keyiv understands what the Emperor’s intentions in adopting him were. But back then, when he had a rare private moment with the Emperor and he’d said ‘ _you will grow up to serve the empire well’_ , he’d thought… that the Emperor had another purpose in adopting him. That maybe, the Emperor saw the potential in him to be something _useful_ to him.

 

But now, the Emperor refuses to even see him.

 

Keyiv feels his ears flatten against his skull, against his will. They’ve always betrayed his true emotions. He knows it’s his fault. He’s always been slower, weaker, less intelligent, less _ruthless_ than First Prince Lotor. He _knows_ he’s failed Emperor Zarkon and it’s his fault the Emperor doesn’t even want to associate himself with him now.

 

 _But I’m going to prove myself_ , he tells himself, _and now I finally know how. I’m going to take down Voltron myself. Then no one can ever tell me I don’t deserve to be a prince again._  


“No luck?” A familiar voice says from above him.

 

Keyiv looks up and shakes his head. He stands, not wanting to appear weak, even if it’s only in front of Thace, his unofficial guardian since he was adopted by the Emperor.

“That’s too bad. Well if you’re done moping, I wanted to tell you that I _do_ have a spare ship that you can use. I engineered it myself, without using galran designs so it should be good for stealth.” Thace says, with a knowing smile on his face. “As Commander, I’m taking you out of regular missions for the time being. You’re free to do what you need to do.”

 

Keyiv jerks to attention. “Really?” he grins, unable to conceal his delight. “Quiznak – I mean _wow_ , Thace. Thank you.”

 

Thace ruffles his hair affectionately – dodging when Keyiv swats his hand away. “I trust you know what you’re doing, kit. Stay safe.”

 

“I’m nearly thirty cycles old, stop calling me a kit!” Keyiv wrinkles his nose in protest, but Thace only laughs in return.

 

* * *

 

The next time he sees the Paladins, they’re relaxing around what seems to be a sort of make-shift fireplace on the planet Wrencor. They told him they’d planned to ‘liberate’ Wrencor around this date. _So they didn’t give me false information. As usual, they have no wariness whatsoever._

Well, no reason to hesitate, he supposes. Without warning, he jumps into the little alcove they’re sitting in. He feels oddly satisfied when he notices most of them jump at his sudden entrance.

 

“Red! Oh my god, don’t do that!” the Blue Paladin exclaims. “I think you took five years off my life span. I thought you were a Galra soldier for a second.”

 

 _Hah, that would be bad, wouldn’t it?_ The irony is not lost on Keyiv. “What are you guys doing out here? Is there something wrong with the Castle of Lions?”  
 

If there is something wrong, he’ll have to get a message to the Emperor or at least Thace immediately. Without their ship, the Paladins are vulnerable and without a means of escape if they need to retreat.

 

“Nah,” the Yellow Paladin waves a hand. “We’re having a campfire! Enjoying the night-time air, you know?”

 

“I was against it at first. But the nature on Wrencor really is sort of beautiful,” the Green Paladin says. Keyiv has to agree, the breeze when he’d stepped off the ship he loaned from Thace had been relaxing and the surrounding greenery was pleasant even to his sensitive Galran nose.

 

“What’s the fire for though?” He questions.

 

“For fun!” the Blue Paladin looks at him somewhat incredulously. “Don’t tell me – you’ve never been to a campfire before? Roasted marshmallows, sang songs, that sort of thing?”

 

Awkwardly, Keyiv shakes his head. “It seems like an illogical thing to do anyway.”

 

It’s too late when Keyiv realises his mistake. “What, why?” the Blue Paladin asks.

 

 _Quiznak,_ Keyiv thinks. _I shouldn’t be giving evasion tips to an enemy_. _But there’s no way to get out of this now._ “Fire draws too much attention and you’re not secure in this location at all. Even without the light from the fire, any enemy could hear Lance belting out songs a mile away.”

 

The rest look at him as if the thought had never occurred to them. Keyiv resists the urge to shake each and every one of them and order them to be more wary. It’s a _good_ thing the enemy are so careless, he reminds himself. But he can’t help but think: _how are they not dead by now?_ This _is the greatest threat to the Galran Empire?_ Keyiv actually feels embarrassed. 

 

“He’s right. But we all felt the need to blow off some steam. It’s been planet after planet. We never really get a chance to stop and wind down.” The Black Paladin finally says.

 

Keyiv snorts. “It’s a war, not a game of Capture the Flag. You didn’t expect things to be _easy_ when you decided to go up against the Galran Empire, did you?” He admits it’s a little bit of his pride for his people that prompts him to gloat like that. Thankfully, the Paladins seem to take his words as a simple jab.

 

“Hey, we’re fighting an intergalactic war, alright? Cut us some slack, Red.” The Blue Paladin sighs. “Always so harsh with his words.”

 

“It’s for your own good.”

 

“Yeah, we’re actually lucky to have a friend with such common sense,” Shiro admits. “I thought about that too but we really did need a breather. Thanks for the advice though, Red.”

 

Keyiv squirms a little at the sincere look of gratitude on the leader’s face. “No problem,” he mutters eventually.

 

“Hey, another thing, how’s your arm healing up?” The Blue Paladin effectively steers the conversation away from its previous topic. “That Robeast managed to get in a hit before I nailed it with my blaster.”

 

Keyiv pauses for a moment to rotate his shoulder. “Yeah, it’s healed up fine. Thanks.” He feels a little surprised that the Paladin would remember such a small detail though.

 

“We brought some medicine for you just in case. It’s gotta be hard, surviving on your own.” The Yellow Paladin says sympathetically. Keyiv resists the urge to reject the gift even though he wants to say outright that he doesn’t need anyone’s sympathy, much less the sympathy of the Voltron Paladins.

 

“Thanks,” he accepts the bundled gift with a nod. “It’s a bit hard for me to accept a gift like this, but I guess it would be rude to reject.”

 

“Aw, you don’t need to be so shy about it. Besides, we have an ulterior motive.” The Blue Paladin says, completely without shame. Keyiv suppresses a snort. “Back when we were fighting the Robeast, you didn’t say much but I get the impression that you’re pretty knowledgeable. Mind if we pick at your brain a bit?”

 

Keyiv hesitates to answer. _The gift was a trap_ , he curses himself. _It would look suspicious to refuse now, but I have to be careful with what I give away._ “Sure,” he says, tone cautious despite trying to sound casual.

 

“So, back there you mentioned that it isn’t ‘dark magic’ fuelling the Robeast but ‘druidic magic’? Could you explain what that means?” The Blue Paladin asks.

 

“Druids are Galra that can control quintessence. So in a way, it is a sort of magic but they treat quintessence like a type of energy, like electricity, to fuel the robots, forming Robeasts. At least that’s what I’ve heard.” Keyiv says.

 

The Princess’s eyebrows knit together, looking deeply troubled. “In the past, Alteans were always the only ones who were able to channel quintessence. Whatever the Galra are doing now… it’s unnatural.”

 

Keyiv feels a little offended at the implication that Alteans are somehow special or superior but he squashes the feeling down. Even he has to admit that the work of High Priestess Haggar and the druids had always creeped him out. A little bit. “The Robeasts are pretty horrifying,” he says instead.

 

He shudders a little, recalling the things he’s been told in the past. Galran parents regularly use druids to enforce their household rules – _Eat your vegetables kit, or else a druid will take you away._ The threat goes unspoken, but all Galra know the rumours – disobedience and a druid may use your body to create a Robeast or some other horrible monster.

 

“–ed? Red?” Keyiv snaps back to attention and realises the Blue Paladin’s face is suddenly close to his, inspecting him. Keyiv jerks away, an alarmed noise escaping him. The Blue Paladin holds his hands up in apology. “Sorry. You zoned out for a minute there.”

 

“Red… could it be that you had some… personal encounters with the druids?” The Princess asks cautiously. Keyiv stiffens. He thinks he should say something, make himself appear to be a _useful_ ally to the Paladins – but he _can’t_. Not when all he can think of is Haggar’s taunting words, her cold, gnarled fingers wrapping around his throat…

 

A warm hand on his shoulder grounds him back in reality. It only lasts a second, before the Black Paladin withdraws his hand, but it’s enough for Keyiv to regain his composure. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” the Black Paladin says firmly.

 

Keyiv draws in a breath, slightly shakier than normal. If the rest notice, they don’t comment on it.

 

“Hey, want us to teach you how to campfire?” The Blue Paladin makes a not-so-subtle attempt to change the subject, but Keyiv appreciates it all the same. “It’s easy, here, grab a marshmallow – well it’s not _really_ a marshmallow but Hunk found something with similar taste and consistency so…”

 

On one hand, Keyiv knows that he’s here to gather information and this campfire discussion would surely yield no helpful information. On the other hand, he feels tense and on-edge after discussing druids, definitely in no condition to answer their questions skilfully should they attempt to interrogate him again.

 

So, he accepts the ‘marshmallow’. Despite its strange appearance – white and soft – it actually tastes _really good_. He takes a second. Then a third. Then a fourth.

 

The rest laugh at his eagerness but Keyiv can’t dredge up the energy to be annoyed. In fact, it feels kind of… pleasant.

 

 

* * *

  
In the morning, everything goes to hell.

 

Keith is awoken by a frantic beeping from his ship’s communicator. He remembers Thace mentioned that he allowed the ship access to the Galra communication channels. A surge of gratitude fills him at Thace’s consideration, but his blood immediately goes cold once he hears what’s on the comm.

 

“—requesting backup. Our patrol spotted them on planet Wrencor. Nearby ships have been notified and are already flying to the target. We will engage in five dobashes.”

 

Keyiv leaps into action, grabbing his knife and blaster and changing back into his human form as he makes his way to the exit. _Stupid Paladins! I warned them they were too out in the open to go unnoticed – the Galra are already about to attack! And those idiots are probably still asleep – I have to go and –_

_–and what?_

Keyiv freezes in his tracks, mouth opening slightly in shock as his own thoughts. Had he been about to… _warn_ the Paladins of the attack? Warn the _enemy_. Shakily, he withdraws his hands from the panel, where he’d almost pressed the button to leave his ship.

 

He sinks down into the pilot chair, rubbing his forehead feverishly. _It must the after-effect of putting on that ‘human’ persona in front of them… I wasn’t thinking straight after all… I just woke up…_

Shaking his head to rid it of his racing thoughts, Keyiv grips the steering handles of his ship. He jets the ship far away from Wrencor, ignoring the prickle of conscience at the back of his mind that tells him he just left the Paladins entirely defenceless to the oncoming attack.

 

* * *

 

A day later, as he’s cruising near the island planets of Wyvr, the news reaches him.

 

Keyiv feels sick to his stomach.

 

 _It was a_ slaughter _._ Many of the ships were piloted by sentries, yes, but there were many Galra casualties as well. Did the Paladins fail to see that there were _command ships_ amongst the sentry-piloted ships? With _living_ Galra inside them?

 _Not so living anymore_ , Keyiv thinks bitterly.

 

He lays back against the pilot seat, closing his eyes for a moment. _How am I supposed to act friendly with them now?_ Keyiv thinks desperately. _They_ murdered _my people. How can I look them in the eye and pretend I’m on their side?_  
  


* * *

 

He gets his answer soon enough when he lands on the island planets and spots the Castle of Lions nearby. Deeming himself not ready to face them just yet, he strolls into town in human form instead.

 

Of course, because the universe’s favourite pastime is evidently ‘Make Keyiv Suffer’, he hears a familiar voice calling out to him not even ten minutes into his walk around town. Keyiv braces himself, then turns around to greet them.

 

It’s the Blue and Green Paladin but he’s sure the rest aren’t too far behind. Before Keyiv can think of what to say, the two lunge forward and wrap their arms around him. Keyiv stiffens, but quickly worms his way out of their grip. _Hugs. Hugs from the_ enemy _._ He might be acting buddy-buddy with them now, but _hugs_ are absolutely where he draws the line.

 

Galra naturally yearn for another’s touch and warmth. Keyiv knows that this solo mission of his will likely result in him being alone for the next few months and likely touch-starved. He doesn’t want to develop a reliance on the Paladins’ touches just because he gets desperate. He’d never sink that low.

 

“Oh okay… so hugs aren’t cool but hey! What happened back on Wrencor? We searched for you before we took off but we couldn’t see you anywhere. We went back after the Galra left too but you were just… gone.” The Blue Paladin asks, words almost going too fast for Keyiv to process them.

 

“Wait – you looked? For me?” Keyiv asks, a little astonished. “Why?”

 

“Because you’re our friend now, dumbass!” The Green Paladin punches his arm lightly. “Or did you forget that?” Keyiv’s heart _wrenches_ at the word ‘friend’. It’s not something he hears often but these people killed _his_ people. One could argue it was in self-defence but they didn’t have to wipe out the entire _fleet_.

 

“Wow, did our campfire together mean nothing to you?” The Blue Paladin cries dramatically.

 

Keyiv admits that it was a little fun. More fun than he’s had in a while, if he’s honest. But he’s not about to say that in front of them. “I _do_ have standards, you know. Takes a lot more than that for me to call someone a ‘friend’.”

 

“Damn, that’s _cold_.” The Blue Paladin pretends to shiver.

 

“Well, then if not friends, could we consider each other allies?” Just as Keyiv had expected, the other Paladins weren’t far behind these two and the Black Paladin joins the conversation. “And if not a hug, what about a handshake?”

 

Keyiv studies the Black Paladin’s outstretched hand curiously. An alliance… would that mean commitment? Would they expect him to fight with them against the Galra? That’s not something he can do. But an alliance would also mean they are giving him their trust, which is exactly what he needs.

 

For now, he’ll have to play along.

 

Firmly, he grasps the leader’s hand. “Allies,” he says, with a note of determination in his voice. The rest cheer, completely unaware of the true drive behind his motivation. Keyiv almost feels sorry for them.

 

“Here, take this.” Princess Allura says, holding out a small white device. “It’s a communicator. If you press this button, it’ll connect you with the Castle’s comm. And if you press this, it sends out a distress signal.” 

 

 _A direct line to the Paladins? I guess that has to be useful in some way._ Keyiv thinks. Thankfully, his ‘alliance’ with the Paladins already seems to be yielding results.

 

* * *

 

 

“So, what do you think of Red?” Allura says, during one of the many nights they’ve spent together at the command panel, charting out the course to their next mission. “There’s something I don’t trust about him… but I do like him.”

 

Shiro tilts his head back, frowning contemplatively. “I think we should give the kid a chance. Looks like he’s been through a lot. The way he zoned out when we started talking about druids – I _know_ that look. I know it too well. It happens during flashbacks. And another thing – when he saw my arm, he looked _afraid_. We haven’t seen him for long, but he doesn’t seem to scare easy.”

 

“The Galra,” Allura says softly, voice barely above a whisper. “They’ve… _done_ something to him, haven’t they?”

 

Shiro nods gravely. “I’m sure.”

 

Allura’s eyes close in the way Shiro knows means she’s sad. “I don’t understand how the Galra can be so _horrible._ He’s only a child.”

 

“As much a child as any of our Paladins.”

 

Allura opens her eyes again, gaze soft as she gives him a gentle, knowing look. “As much as _you_. You may be the leader but you’re still so young. Go and rest, Shiro, and that’s an order. You need it.”

 

Shiro would argue back, but being far too familiar with their routine by now and knowing better than to argue with the princess once she gives that commanding stare, he relents. Chuckling, he says, “Alright, alright. You’d better rest soon, okay? We only have four more hours before we reach the next planet.”

 

Allura smiles. “Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you guys don't remember Thace, he was the Galra working undercover at Zarkon's command ship. He was a Blade of Mamora member and sacrificed his life for Keith. Because I wish we'd seen more of him, he's Keith's Galra Stepdad - I mean unofficial guardian in this fic. Kind of like a space babysitter, because Zarkon can't be bothered to pay attention to his adopted son.
> 
> Remember to leave your comments down below! I love reading what you think about this fic so far and if there's anything I can do to improve :)


	3. chapter three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi thank you guys so much for your support in the previous chapters!! i'm sorry if this fic seems slow paced right now, i'm still setting everything up for what's to come later so hope you all stick with me for the ride :)
> 
> fun fact: it's my bday and I'm kind of a little tempted to write a keith birthday scene at SOME point in this fic bc I have this headcanon that the galra don't celebrate bdays at all and I want to give keith the appreciation and love he deserves <3

**Brexzon:**  
hey how’re you doing on your solo mission  
wow ~solo mission~   
answer your comm  
keyivvv  
cmon  
don’t ignore me just because you’re a big shot now

 

 **Keyiv:**  
I’m not ignoring you, Brexzon  
Also I’m not a big shot   
Just running some errands for Thace

 

 **Brexzon:**  
yeah well  
being an errand boy for a COMMANDER is still better than the grunt work kyra and I’ve been doing  
kyra says hi by the way!!

 

 **Keyiv:**  
I’m sure she does  
Tell her I said hi back  
I’ve got to go now but I’ll talk to you and Kyra later

 

Keyiv shuts off his communicator. He lets a reluctant smile grace the corner of his mouth. He’s happy that Brexzon and Kyra are still thinking about him, but he’s always felt like a bit of a third wheel around them. And even though they’ve been friends since he was adopted by Emperor Zarkon, he isn’t entirely convinced that Kyra doesn’t still hate him for the time he stole her top spot in combat class.

 

Shrugging on his human form – it seems to get easier every time he does it, which he can’t decide he should be grateful for or afraid of – he heads out of the ship. He contacted the Paladins a few vagras ago, which means they should be turning up pretty soon.

 

He’s been careful not to approach any Galra ships for the past few days, wary that they may have placed a tracker in the communicator they handed him. It’s a show of trust by them, but it could also be a well-placed trap. They would definitely be suspicious if his location was shown to be near a Galra ship, after all, they seem to have assumed he made himself an enemy of the Galra somehow.

Right on time, his communicator beeps. He accepts the call and Princess Allura shows up on the screen with a pleasant smile on her face.

 

_“Hello Red. It’s nice to see you again. We’ve entered the atmosphere of the planet you sent us the coordinates of but could we set a place to meet? I’m landing the Castle right outside town.”_

Despite himself, Keyiv smiles back. _So they didn’t put a tracker in this thing after all. Either that, or they’re just very good at lying._ “Sure. I’ll meet you outside the entrance to town then.”

 

About ten doboshes later, he spots the Paladins waiting for him outside the Castle. The Blue Paladin seems to be arguing playfully with the Yellow and Green Paladin. The Black Paladin intervenes, but soon after, drops into a pose that looks like he’s… shooting a laser gun?

 

“Red!” The Blue Paladin cries once he spots Keyiv standing a few feet away. He throws an arm around Keyiv’s shoulder. “Come on, help us out. We need you to be the judge.”

 

Confused, Keyiv shrugs the arm off. “Of what?”

 

“Of who makes the most accurate laser sounds of course!” The Blue Paladin says, looking slightly incredulous, as if Keyiv was really supposed to know that. “Personally, I think it’s like _pow! Pow! Pow!_ ”

 

“Yeah… I’m not doing that.” Keyiv frowns distastefully, ignoring the way his face falls.

 

The Black Paladin nods his head in approval. “Good to finally have someone sane on the team.” Before even giving Keyiv time to process that he had just implied Keyiv was _on the same team as Voltron_ , he continues. “Besides, I already told you guys, it’s more of a ‘ _blam, blam, blam!_ ’”

 

“What? No!” Keyiv bursts before he can stop himself. He hears the Yellow Paladin go ‘exactly!’ in agreement with him in the background. “That’s just… wrong. Anyway,” he coughs. “I called you guys for a reason. I’ve got information you might want to know.”

 

Instantly, the Paladins sober up. “Tell us,” the Black Paladin says.

 

“This town houses one of the largest intergalactic markets. It’s under Galran control but it’s mostly run by other people, with only one Galra supervisor. Basically, a smaller, more ‘flea-market’ version of the Space Mall. I’ve been in a couple of the eateries here and you’d be surprised on what kind of gossip you hear. The Galra are planning to strike at these planets in the next few days.”

 

“What?” The Princess gasps, looking appalled. “But those are planets we have already liberated from Zarkon’s rule!”

 

Keyiv swallows his irritation at the disrespectful way she addressed the Emperor. “Commander Thorak is in charge of the Planet Reclamation Programme. I’m sorry, but the Galra aren’t going to give up ground to Voltron.”

 

“The Balmera?” The Yellow Paladin scowls, actually looking the most menacing he’s been since Keyiv has met him. “Those bastards just can’t leave Shay and her people alone.”

 

 _Shay?_ “Is Shay… one of the Balmerans?” Keyiv asks curiously.

 

The Yellow Paladin nods, the scowl still firmly in place. “Yeah. She and her people had never known freedom under Zarkon’s rule – she didn’t even know what the sky looked like! We can’t let that happen again.”

 

“And we won’t, Hunk.” The Black Paladin says with utmost certainty. “We’ve defended them once. We’ll do it again, no matter how many times we need to beat the Galra to a pulp to do it.”

 

Keyiv averts his eyes. Up till then, he’d only seen the Paladins while they were playing around or being friendly with him. _These_ were the feared Voltron Paladins, the greatest threat to the Galra Empire.

 

_These were the people who murdered my people._

He forces a neutral expression onto his face. “Also, this info doesn’t come for free. I expect a favour in return.”

 

“Of course,” the Princess says. “What do you need?”

 

“Take me with you to Balmera,” Keyiv says. “I need a crystal to power my ship. Prices have raised since… the Balmera were freed from Galran rule.” Sensing the Yellow Paladin’s metaphorical hackles rising, he hurriedly continues. “Not that it was a bad thing. It’s just – the way the economy is. So, the favour?”

 

“We’d be happy to have you with us on Balmera,” the Black Paladin says. “You’re an ally, Red, we’d be happy to help you whenever you need it.”

 

“Sure. Thanks.”

 

 _____

 

Keyiv stares at the ceiling of his room. _I can’t believe they gave me a_ _room to myself._ He snorts. _For the great ‘Paladins of Voltron’, ‘Defender of the Universe’, they_ do _seem to be living in luxury here._

 

He estimates they’ll take a day or so to get to Balmera – not because the Castle can’t travel there in time, but to let the Paladins rest a little before jumping back into the missions. Keyiv rolls his eyes. Back when Zarkon was the leader of Voltron, _he_ surely wouldn’t haven’t been so lenient as to take breaks after every mission.

 

 _“Red!”_ The Green Paladin’s voice sounds from outside his door. “Dinner’s ready and Hunk told me that you’ll regret it if you aren’t there in five doboshes!”

 

 _Way to treat a guest,_ Keyiv thinks. “I’m coming!” he yells back instead.

 

Three doboshes later, Keyiv finds himself seated at an uncomfortably long dining table, obviously catered to holding many more guests than those present. The Castle belonged to the Royal Altean family once, Keyiv remembers.

 

The Paladins are seated at one end of the table, crowded together. The Blue Paladin pats the seat at the head of the table. “Hey, Red! You’re the guest of honour, sit here!” He grins as though fully aware of how uncomfortable that would make Keyiv feel. Still, he reluctantly takes this seat, preferring that to being pressed up against the other Paladins. Why they choose to squish themselves together when there’s plenty of space around, he has no clue.

 

“Now, for the poor souls who’ve never tried my cooking before – _cough,_ Red, _cough_ – brace yourself because after this meal, you’re not going to settle for any other food in the galaxy ever again!” The Yellow Paladin cheers, waving a plate in the air. Then, with grandiose, he places a dish in front of Keyiv. “ _Bon appetit_!”

Keyiv has no idea what that means but he can’t bring himself to care when the food in front of him smells _this_ good. He digs in without hesitation, figuring that even if it’s poisoned or whatnot, it’d probably be a good way to go.

 

“Damn, when’s the last time you ate?” Lance says, part in awe, part in shock.

 

Luckily, the food contains no trace of poison that he can taste and everyone finishes the meal within ten doboshes. Eating meals with the Paladins of Voltron, Keyiv discovers, is a hearty affair. There’s always someone talking, or exclaiming, or asking to pass the salt. A large part of it, he’s sure, is the fact that Lance never shuts up.

 

Still, he feels amused by it, lulled into a sense of warm content by the delicious food. Keyiv mostly stays quiet throughout the meal, though he does answer in a friendly enough manner whenever a question is directed to him. Except for when it’s Lance – he gets oddly fired up around him, even without any particular reason sometimes.

 

Looking at the way the Paladins interact with each other, bickering, chatting and laughing all at once, they’re closer than Keyiv has ever been to anyone in his life.

 

 _So this is what a family looks like_ , Keyiv thinks.

 

_This is what I’ll have. Once I earn it._

He _has_ to earn Emperor Zarkon’s respect. The thought is sobering, but he’s quickly drawn into the conversation again once Lance comments _‘stop being emo by yourself, Red, and eat more food!’_ The Yellow Paladin happily obliges and turns to Keyiv, smiling. “Did you save room for dessert? I made cookies!”

 

Cautiously, Keyiv accepts one. “I’ve never eaten one before.”

 

He gasps, scandalised. “Never attended a campfire, never tried cookies before? Have you even _lived_?” The Paladins all stare at him with some degree of surprise and pity. Keyiv flushes and quickly bites down on the ‘cookie’ to avoid making eye contact with them.

 

To his surprise, despite the hard texture, it’s actually extremely tasty. He quickly polishes off the first one and contemplates whether it would be rude to ask for a second. Just as he’s about to ask for another, he notices the rest of the Paladins staring at him again with undisguised surprise.

 

“What?” He questions, a little defensively.

 

“Um… Hunk, I think you used the wrong batch again. This is way too hard to be a cookie.” The Green Paladin scrunches up her nose.

 

“Yeah, Red, how the hell are you not breaking your teeth eating this thing?” Lance asks incredulously, knocking his ‘cookie’ on the table to demonstrate its hardness.

 

 _Shit, it’s probably my Galra teeth_. Keyiv quickly swipes his tongue around his mouth to check that his teeth are now acceptably human-like, before baring his teeth at Lance tauntingly. “I guess you’re just weak.”

 

Outraged, Lance immediately challenges him to a cookie eating contest, much to the chagrin of the other Paladins. He throws their warnings of ‘ _Lance, don’t be an idiot_ ’ and ‘ _I won’t come to your funeral’_ aside fearlessly and demands another cookie.

 

Keyiv, of course, wins. _Victory or Death,_ he thinks rather smugly, looking down at Lance who’s rubbing his jaw, wincing in pain, after finally giving up on the competition.

 

_______

 

“Why do they do the things they do?”

 

 _Huh?_ Keyiv turns his attention to Hunk at his unusually sombre tone of voice. _He must be thinking of ‘Shay’ again._ It’s late at night, but none of them seem to feel like sleeping yet so they’re sitting around the lounge.

 

“The Galra are evil.” Allura says, appearing confused. “What do you mean, Hunk?”

 

“Seems kinda presumptuous to call a whole race ‘evil’, Allura. Maybe a large majority are kind of dicks, but labelling all of them ‘evil’ doesn’t sit well with me.” Lance says, eyes trained on Allura as if studying her reaction. Sure enough, she shifts slightly, hinting at her discomfort. “I mean, I’m Cuban and I never liked it when people gave me labels back at the Garrison.”

 

“Language,” Shiro warns. The word itself sounds tired, giving Keyiv the impression that the reprimand has been said many times before.

 

“Labels suck.” Pidge agrees. “And it’s kind of ridiculous to think that a whole race would do all this conquering just for the sake of being ‘evil’.”

 

“The Galra are power-hungry. As long as there’s some planet not under their rule, or someone rebelling against them, they’ll never stop trying to seize more power. At any cost.” Allura insists stubbornly.

 

Finally unable to stand the slander against his people any longer, Keyiv stands abruptly. “Have you ever considered that the Galra were trying to _help_? They were technologically advanced beyond any other planet, rivalling or even surpassing Altea when the war started. Sure, some people don’t like being under Galran rule now but the older colonies benefitted _greatly_ under their rule.”

 

When the silence falls, he realises his mistake.

 

“I thought… you didn’t like the Galra?” Allura asks, looking genuinely confused.

 

Keyiv takes a short breath to calm himself, reminding himself of his place. If he’s not careful, he’s going to start sprouting purple fur and blow his whole cover. “I _don’t_ ,” he says firmly, mostly to remind himself. “The Galra, they’ve done… too much for me to forgive them. But I think your perspectives are too narrow. How can you claim to be a ‘defender of all’ if you’re going to shun all the Galra like that? There are soldiers who don’t have a choice but to fight, and children who’ve done nothing at all.”

 

“You’re right.” The relief is almost overwhelming when Shiro agrees with him. _I thought they might throw me overboard for ‘sympathising with the enemy’ or something._ “I hate to admit it but we can’t lock away all the Galra once the war is over. We’re going to have to deal with that with fair judgement.”

 

“Now that I think about it, the fact that Zarkon’s war started 10, 000 years ago means that all the Galra now have probably been brainwashed into following him. The propaganda in the Galra Empire is probably worse than in Hitler’s dictatorship. That means all the children have been brought up to fight in a war they don’t even know the reason for.” Pidge says. “That’s pretty fucked up.”

 

“ _Language_ ,” Shiro stresses again wearily.

 

Part of him is relieved that the Paladins are showing that they actually can be reasoned with, that they’re willing to listen to other points of view. The other part of him stirs uncomfortably at Pidge’s words. He knows what he’s been fighting for, doesn’t he? It’s not like he’s been… _brainwashed_ , as Pidge had put it in such an ugly manner.

 

His friends, Thace, his own self… they all have dreams, hopes and ambitions. It’s not like they’re all mindless zombies yelling “for the glory of the empire!” as they charge into battle. Is that really what the Paladins think of the Galra?

 

 _No wonder they have no problem shooting us down like flies._ The ugly thought rears its head in Keyiv’s mind.

 

Suddenly feeling nauseous, Keyiv turns and leaves for his room, muttering some excuse about being tired. He doesn’t miss the way their eyes follow him all the way out of the lounge but he doesn’t bother to come up with a more believable excuse.

 

 _That could have been me or Brexzon in those ships they destroyed. It could be_ Thace _. They wouldn’t care that he’s kind and funny and he cared for me when no one else did. They’d put him down like a rabid dog just because he’s a Commander._

_That’s why we can’t let people like Voltron wreak havoc in the Empire._ Keyiv reminds himself on the long walk back to his room. _That’s why I’m here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! as usual all comments are highly appreciated so do give me some feedback/scream incoherently in the comments section - you do you!! 
> 
> see you all in the next update! :)

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this first chapter just to test the waters (sort of) to see if you guys would be interested in reading more of this concept :)
> 
> Let me know your thoughts if you can - kudos and comments as always are very much appreciated!! 
> 
> See you all (hopefully) in the next update ( •⌄• ू )✧


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